Wednesday, January 13, 2016

If you hadn't noticed, there's been a lot of poke shops opening in LA last year. I mean A LOT. I love poke and all, but some point you think to yourself, do we really need another poke place? Among all these, it's great when you encounter one that does things a bit differently. Mix it up a little.
Okipoki in downtown LA does just that, in my opinion. Instead of the usual traditional poke bowl (they have that, too), I believe the point of Okipoki is the way they infuse other cuisine's flavors into it. The chef is Thai, so you'll see some Thai influences in some of these poke bowls.

The inspiration behind this is the Thai coconut soup. The coconut and the kaffir aroma are nice with the bay scallops and it had a nice kick. The uni addition just makes it so much better!

One of their most popular items is the Hama Time (hamachi, citrus soy, edamame, watermelon radish, $14)

All the fresh vegetable addition makes for a refreshing lunch.

They had tasty drinks here, as well, like the Lychee matcha tea ($3.50)

Okipoki's prices are slightly higher than other poke places in LA, but for me, the poke bowls are much more interesting. Not that I don't love a traditional poke bowl, but I really liked that they're doing something different here. Instead of having a build-your-own bowl concept, each bowl was already thought out and offers some new flavor combinations you didn't expect in poke. The counter seating and fast service makes this place a nice lunch stop in downtown.